Doorlatch



F. scHMlDGALl. 1,911,929

DOORLATCH Filed Dec. 19, 1932 SvSheets-Sheet l May 30, 1933.

n w w /f 4 9 9 2 4 3 SIF. Mw O 3 May 30, 1933- F. SCHMIDGALL l 1,911,929

DOORLATCH Filed Dec. 19, 1952 3 SheeLS-Sheel'l 2 Patented May 3i), Y 1933 Unirse `stares ,FREDERICKSCHMIDGALL OF CfNCNNATI, OHIO DOORLATCH Application ied ADecember 19, "1932. Seria-1 No. 647,933.

My invention relates to door latches particularly applicable to so-called refrigerator doors, 'and i-t is the objectof my invention Ato provide certain Vnew and useful improvements in latches of this character'.

It is the object of my invention to provide a novel latchY comprising a bolt-slidehav'ing a guided barrel in which there is an actuating spring, and novel means for adg-ustang the spring; further, to provide novel actuating means for the bolt; further, to provide novel means for initiating opening movement of the door; and, further, to provide novel means acted on by the spring of the latch for urging closing of the door.

The invention will `be further readily' understood from the vfollowing description and claims, and from `the drawings, in which latter:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved device, viewed from the inside of the refrigerator, and` partly broken away.

F-ig..2 is a horizontal section of the same in the plane of the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and partly broken away, and showingthe door in closed relation in full-lines and in open relation in dotted lines. Y

`Fig. 3 is a cross-sectionofa detail, taken onethe line 3 3 of Fig. 1. i

' Fig.4 is an axial section of myimproved device, taken in the plane of the line 4 4 of Fig. '1.

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of my improved latch, Vpartly in section on the line 5-5 of f F ig. '1, and partly broken away. Y

Fig. 6 is a cross-section of my improved device,ta'len on the line 9'6-6 of F-ig. 1, and partly 'broken away.

Figg'? is a cross-sectional detail of my improved device, talren on the .line 7-"7 of Fig.y

1, partly broken away, :and showing the releasing membersin coactingrelation for initiating opening movement of .the door.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged side elevation ofthe inner end-of. my improved latch, viewed -from the bottom. of the latch, and partly broken away.

Fig. 9 isa cro'ss-sectio-nof the same, taken on the irregular line '9-9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 aifrontv'elevationofa detail of my improved device, `showing the latch in locked relation, and partly broken away. p

Fig. 1,1 is a cross-section of the same, taken on the line 11-11 of Fig..10.

F ig'. 12 is a side elevation, partly in section 55 and partly bro-ken away, showing a modication rofthe bolt end of my improved device.

Fig. 13 is a .side elevation of a further modification of my improved device, showing arplurality of connected bolts, and partly 6o broken away. p V

Fig. 14 is an end-elevationof ythis modification, partly broken away, and partly in section on the `line 14-1-4 of Fig. 1'3; and,

Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional detail of the 65 same, taken on the line 15-15 of Fig. 13.

The body ofthe refrigerator is shown at 21 and has a wall 22 about a door opening 23, arranged to be closed Vby a refrigerator door 24, supported on hinges 25 from the wall.v 70 The wall of the door opening is provided with an inclined seat 26, in which the sl-antin edge faces 27 of the door are received. .i seating strip28 is secured about the wall of the door opening :and `forms a seat having a 75 cushion 29 thereon. A cushion 30 on the door surrounds thedoor between a laterally'extending -iiange 31 extending around the outer margin of the door and the margin of the wall. These cushions are compressed when 80 the door is closed for forming `a substani tially Ahermetic seal between the wall ofthe door opening-and the door when the door is closed.

A latch 35 is arranged to maintain the door S5 closed. 'This latch comprises a bottoni plate 36. (Figs. 4,5 and 6.) Guides 87 are secured to this plate, as by means of the screws 38, which pass through holes in saidr guides and Y the plate and are'screwed into the door. 90 i 3.) A'zboltsli'de 39 is slidalble l`in guideways v40 in ytheguides 37, and is provided with a seat 9411, in which a tube 42 is fixed, there beingaspiral spring y43 int-histube or barrel.

y,There is ,a resistance plate 46 at the inner 95 end of :the plate, Afrom which `a resistance bracket 47 extends. (Figs. A4, 5,'8 and 9.) This plate andl bracket are secured to the door by means of screws 48, which passthrou h holes in said plate and slots 49 in the bottom 100 plate 36, and are threaded into the door. Screws 50 pass through slots 51 in the bottom plate 36 and through holes in the resist-ance plate, nuts 52 being threaded over said screws for clamping the bracket in adjusted positions to the plate 36.

rEhe bracket is located in a slot 53 in the tube 42 and is provided with a resistance pad 54 in the tube against which one end of the spring is received.

Outward movement ofthe slide 39 is limited by a shoulder 57 on the plate'36, with which a shoulder 58 on said slide engages, forming stops, for limiting f outward movement of the slide. Y

The plate 35 is located in rabbets 59 in the guides 37 and in' a bottom groove 60 in the resistance plate 4G for readily assembling the parts in alinement.

`Movement of the slide is further guided by having the tube or barrel guided by the pad 54 in the inside of the barrel andthe bracket 47 in the slot 53.v

Each of the guides is provided with a wing 64 in which there is a hole 65 having an annular shoulder 66 therein. (Figsl and 6.) A hub G7 of an operating arm 68 is received in one of these holes.;Y A rock-shaft 69 is in this hub at one side of the door, exemplified as the inside, and in a reversely placed hub ,7 0 rotatable in a hole 71, in which there is an annular shoulder 72 of an escutcheon plate 73 fixed, as by screws'74, to the other side of the door, exemplified as the outside of the'do'or. The hub has a handle 7 5 thereon.

' A wedge-piece 7 8 is also secured to the rock-shaft, the wedge-piece being exemplified as having two wedges 79, 80, thereon. The wedge-piece and the hubsare'respectively secured to the rock-shaft by pins 81, 82 and 83, and the rock-shaft and the l'walls of the holes in the wedge-piece and hubs in which it is received may be polygonal in cross-section -to aid in preventing relative rotation between said parts. y

A keeper 85 having inclined faces 86, 87, thereon, is fixed to the wall of the door opening, as by screws 89 in cheeks 88 of said keeper. (Figs. 1 and 4.) The keeper is located in an interruption 90 of the seating strip 28.

The'bolt-slide '39 comprises a bolt 91 which co-operates lwithV the keeper. r1`his `bolt is in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 exemplified as comprising a roller 92 on a pin 93, the outer ends of which are received in bearings of a fork 94 extending from the slide 39, the roller being rotatable and being mevable along. the inclined face'86 for retracting the bolt when closing th door, the spring urging theV roller outwardly along therface87 when the door is being closed for causing intimate sealing connection between the dooriand the wall of the door opening, dueto the pressure exerted on the bolt and its slide by the spring 43.

The bolt is in Fig. 12. exemplied as haver, urged by the spring 43, whenthe door is being closed, for urging the door into sealing position.'

The arm 68 engages a lug 98 on the slide 39 for moving the slide and its bolt inwardly against the resistance of the spring 43 upon operation of either arm 68 or 75 when opening the door. (Fig. 4.)

1f it is desired tolock the bolt, a padlock 101 is employed, (Figs-10 and 11), the bow 102 ofwhich is received through a hole 103 in a tail 104 of the arm 75, the bow when in such relation being received in .a slot 10,5 Vbetween lugs 106 extending from the escutcheon plate 73. In case of any one being locked in the refrigerator, he may release himself by removing the pins 81, 82, and pushing the rock-shaft 69 outwardly to sufficient extent to remove the bow 102 out of range of the lugs 108. Y

One of the wedges 79, 80, is arranged to coact with a wedge-block 111 secured to the wall of the door opening, as on the sealing strip 28, and provided with a 'wedge-face 112, with which the wedge-face. of the last-named wedge ccactsV when either handle is rocked, for causing the wedge-face on the wedge-arm being rocked to move into range with and against the wedge-face on the wedge-block, resulting in wedging the swinging end of the doork outwardly and initiating opening movement'of the door, so that the doonmay be readily opened if the door should be wedged or stuck in itsopening orthe beginning of its opening 'movement be otherwise difc-ult.

The arms 68 and 7 5 are preferably. respectively provided with bendv 114, extending away from the door' to form handles for being readily grasped by theha'nd of the operator when opening or closing the door. 1 The arm 68 is also preferably connected with the hinge side of the wall of the door openingfor urging movementfof the door in closing direction bythe action of the spring 43. (Figs. 1, 2 and 5.) This connection is shown as a Flexible connection117, for instance, a cable. This arm has an inwardly extending bracket 118 provided with an eye 119, in which'one end of the Vflexible connection is secured, the other end of the flexible connection being secured in an eye 120 secured to the sealing strip 28. rThe purpose of this connection is to normally urge the door into closing relation by the action of the spring 43, employed also in urging the -bolt of. the latch into latching relation.

It will be noted that the latchand its operating means, as well as its connection with Cil n attack. Y

My improved ydevice may be readily placed at either side of the door, and is .exemplified as placed :at the right-hand side of the door,

looking from the outside of the door.' If the.

door is hinged toswing in the opposite direc'- tion,the device :may be placed at the opposite side of the door, with the rocker rod inthe opposite hole 65 Aof .the guides, and the opposite wedge 80 of the pairof wedgearms being in operative position to coact with the wedge block 111 placed on the opposite, side of the wall of the door opening.

If itis desi-red to adjust the tension V.of the spring 43, the screws 48 are removed andthe j nutsV 52 relieved `from clamping laction upon the bracket-plate 46. The bracket 47`is then moved in axialvdirection with relation tothe spring for adjusting the spring, the screws 50 being movable in the slots 51. The nuts 52 are then clamped for securing thev bracket in adjusted position. The screws 48 are also screwed into the door in new positions, according to the new position of the bracket, or again securing the parts to the door, the

, screws 48 passing through the slots 49 in the the Vsame handle. '50

6G. latches 139,140, and coact with the ilu-gs onv plate 36 at another position in said slots.

vIn the modification shown in Figs.v 13, -14 and 15, twobolts are exemplified for latohing the door. VSuch an Varrangement is desirable where very heavy-or very largedoors areemployed. In this modification, corresponding parts are identified by-similar but primed reterence numerals. j

Bothlatches are=exemplified as operated by A handle-armf125 -is located at the inside of the door, and a handle arm 126 is located at the outside ofthe door. Escutcheon lplates 127, 128, a-re respectively secured at the inside and at the outside of the door, andhave bearings 129, 130, therein,

for yreceiving the journal portions 131, 132,

of the hubs 133, 134, of said handle arms, the hubs'bei'n'g 4fixed to the rock-shaft. Arms .137, 138 extend Vfrom the respective the. slides supporting the bolts thereof.

These arms Vhave slot and pin articulations- 1'41, `142, with oppositel-y extending wings 143, 144, of .the `guides of the respectiveV latches. These arms extend towardv each other and Ahave pivotconnection 148 between them. A link 149 is pivotedfto one of these arms, as at 150, atone Vend of said link, the other end of the link being pivoted, as at 151, to the operating arm 125.

The actuation ofeither arm 125 V-or 126 causes swinging of the inner end-s of the arms 137, 138, and consequent movement vof the bolts of the separated latches in corresponding directions for moving said bolts into latch-ing or into unlatching relations.

A locking arrangement similar tothe pad- Y, lock 101 and its connections may be provided for the outer handle 126.

@ne of the arms 137 138, may also beconnected with the wall of the door opening for normally urging closing movement of the door by the action of the springs in the respective latches. Such a connection is show-n by the flexible connection 117 secured to the arm 137 at one oi its ends andl to the wall of the door opening at the otheroi" its ends.

Having thus -fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent,is: v i

1. In a door latch, the Acombination with la A door and the wall of a door opening,ofa boltslide comprising a bolt, a keeper or'said bolt, a'spring normally urging'said bolt and lsaid bolt-slide into latchingrelation with said keeper, a'pivotedoperati'ng arm having a pivotal axis substantially at right angles to the `pla-ne of said door and having operative connection with said bolt-slide to move'th'e latter, said pivoted arm pivoted at one side of said boltfslid'e, hinging means between said door andsaid wall having pivotal axes .atone side of said door, and a Vtension connection between said operatingarm and said walllat Y the other side of said door.

'j v2. In a door latch, thecombinati'on with a door and the wall of' a door opening, of .a-

bolt-slide vcomprising a bolt, a "keeper lfor'said bolt, a spring normally urgin'gsaid bolt and said bolt-slideinto latching relation with said keeper, a pivoted operating arm Vhaving a pivotal axis substantially at right .angles to the pla-ne of said door` .and extending crosswise fof said bol-t-slide'and having operativev connection with said bolt-slide to move the latter, said pivoted arm pivoted at one side of said bolt-slide, said bolt-slide and its bolt, said spring and said operating arm located at the inner .face ofsaid door., hingingmeans betweensaid doorand said wall having pivotal xes at theoutsideof said door, and a tension connection between said operating arm and said wall at the inside ofsaiddoor arranged to operate said arm `upon opening said door and to act on said spring for building yup power thereingt'o automatically swing Vsaidr door in closing-direction upon releaseof said door.v 5

a door andthe wall of a door opening, of a bolt-slide comprising a lbolt, a keeper -'there- 3. in a am aan, the .Combination with for, a spring normally urging said bolt and said bolt-slidein latching direction, a pivoted operating arm having a pivotal axis substantially at right angles to the plane of said door at the side of said bolt-slide, a wedge-arm movable with said operating arm, and' a wedge-block Vco-operating therewith, said wedge-arm and said wedge-block respectively on said doorvand said wall and provided with coacting wedge-faces in coacting relationto wedge said door in opening direction upon opening movement of said' operating arm. U

4.1n a door latch, the combination with a door and the wall of a door opening, of a bolt,` an operating arm having operative connection with said boltA to move said bolt, hingingmeans between said door and 'said wall having pivotal. axes at the outside of saidV door, a tensileconnection between said operating arm and' said wall at the inside of said door,.and ak spring to move said bolt and said arm in latching direction and acting on said tensile connection whereby to automatically swing said door in closing direcction upon release of said door in open relation. 5. In combination, with a door and the wall of a door opening,of a pair of spaced-apart latches respectively comprising guides provided with oppositely extending wings, boltslides guided by said guides, oppositely extending operating arms pivoted to said respective wings, said operating arms extendingtoward each other and being interpivoted, said operating arms havingoperative connections with saidrespective bolt-slides, a

pivoted handleV at the side of said operating arms, a connecting link between said handle and said operatingarms and having pivotal i connections with the-same respectively, the pivotal axes of saidV parts being normally substantially parallel 'and at right angles to the plane of said-door, and keepers for said respective bolt-slides.

6. Invcombination, with a door and the wall of a door opening,lo a pair of spacedapart latches respectively comprising guides provided with oppositely extending wings, bolt-slides guided by saidk guides, oppositely extending operating arms pivoted to said respective wings, said operating arms extendingV toward each other and being interpivoted,said operating arms having operative connections withsaid respective boltslides, a pivoted handle at the side* of said operating arms, a connecting link between said handle and said operating arms and hav-ing pivotal connections with the same respectively, the pivotal axes of said parts being normally substantially parallel and at right angles to the plane of said door, keepers for said respective bolt-slides, said parts lo,- cated at the inner face of said door, hinging means between said door and said wall having pivotal axes at the outer face ofsaid door,

7. In a door latch, the combination of al guide provided with oppositely extending ears and intermediate guide faces, a bolt-slide guided by said guide faces, a spring normally urging said bolt-slide in latching direction, an operating arm for said bolt-slide arranged to extend transverse to said bolt-slide, saidopoperating arm and each of said ears provided with pivot means whereby to pivot said operating arm selectively to said respective ears with said operating arm selectively extending in each oi" opposite directions when respectively pivoted to said respective ears.

8.111 adoor latch, the combination of a lguide provided with oppositely extending ears and intermediate guide faces, a bolt-slide guided by said guide faces,a spring normally urging said bolt-slide in latcliing direction, an operating arni for said bolt-slide arranged to extend transverse to said bolt-slide, said operating armand each of said ears provided with pivot means whereby to pivot said operating arinselectively to said respective ears with said operating arm selectively extending in each ot opposite directions when respectivelypivoted to said respective ears a wedge-part operable with said operatingarm,

said wedge-part having oppositely extending wedge-taces, and a wedge-block with which each of said respective wedge-faces are arranged toco-operate in said respective selective arrangements of said operating arm, and arranged whereby said latch and said wedgeparts maybe selectively placed at oppositeV Contact faces contacted by said bolt of said Y bolt-slide, oneof said contact faces arranged to urge said bolt-slide in unlatching direction, and said bolt arranged t0 be urged along the other of saidy contact faces lby said spring for moving said door into closed relation. i l

10. 4In adoor latch, the combination of a bottom'plate, aguideiiixedzwith relation tovsaid bolt-slide lengthwise of said guide, a helical spring in said barrel, a resistance part at the other end of said bottom plate, and adjusting means between said resistance part and said bottom plate whereby to adjust the tension of said spring.

11. In a door latch, the combination of a bottom pla-te, a guide xed with relation to said bottom plate at one end of said bottom plate, a bolt-slide guided by said guide, a stop for said bolt-slide limiting movement of said bolt-slide in latohing direction, a barrel extending from said bolt-slide lengthwise of said guide, a helical spring in said barrel, a resistance part at the other end of said bottom plate, adjusting means between said resistanc-e part and said bottom plate whereby to adjust the tension of said spring, said guide provided with a laterally extending wing, an operating arm for said bolt-slide having pivotal connection with said wing and extending therefrom between said slide and said barrel, and connecting means between said operating arm and said bolt-slide.

12. In a door latch, the combination of a bottom plate, opposite guide-pieces provided with oppositely extending wings, means lixing said guide-pieces in opposite relations to opposite sides of one end of said bottom plate to form an intermediate guide extending lengthwise of said bottom plate, a bolt-slide slidable in said guide, stops between said bottom plate and said bolt-slide limiting movement of said bolt-slide in latohing direction, a barrel extending rearwardly from said boltslide above said guide, said bolt-slide provided with an operating lug, an operating arm therefor, pivoting means between said 'operating arm and each of said wings, said operating arm extending between said bolt-slide and said barrel, and a resistance part for the other end of said helical spring having connection with the other end of said bottom plate.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

FREDERICK SCI-IMIDGALL. 

